Weeping Orchids
by Nuriko No Da
Summary: A farmers daughter wishes to lead a better life, and wishes to find true love. (Tasuki x OC) R&R please! Chapter 3 UP!
1. Prologue: City Lights

Weeping Orchids  
  
A Fushigi Yuugi Epic...  
  
Date: November 10, 2003  
  
Disclaimer: Nope I don't own nothin'! Except for Mai and co. ! FY belongs to Miss Watase Yuu!   
  
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Prologue: City Lights  
  
Konan. A city so majestic, so perfect, it must be a dream. The weather is always nice, the birds always chirping, the streets always   
  
bustling. What a place to live right? So immaculate and neat, so charming and enchanting. A city like no other, a city on it's own, a city full of   
  
magic. An eden where everyone is equal, a generous emperor, cheerful merchants, happy people.   
  
Well, at least everyone thought so....  
  
Things are not as they seem. There may be birds chirping, but they aren't melodies. Weather might be nice but rain clouds are always churning.  
  
The streets may be bustling but maybe some are empty. Konan is not all jewels and heaps of gold. There are poor ones, but they are hidden.  
  
Hidden behind the silk and and jade of guilt and pity. No one deserves to live like that. No one. Not even me. A poor farmer's daughter in a poor  
  
shack, living poor. But no one sees how hard we work, no one cares to stop and help, no one cares.   
  
There are no silk dresses, no jade or pearls around my neck. I wear ragged clothes with holes and no longer the gleaming white they used to be.  
  
They are soiled by the dirt and mud, soiled from the hard labor of farming, soiled. I have only one pair of shoes, ripped and torn. Worn from the  
  
years of use. I am a farmer's daughter, an only child to a sick old man who can barely walk let alone farm. I help him through his labors,and the  
  
hard times. My mother is no longer with us. A spirit lingering with the four gods. She watches over us with the utmost caution. Her gentle blue  
  
eyes only a memory in my mind. Her long, black hair only a fading picture, and with each year it gets harder and harder for me to find the image.  
  
She died while I was born, seventeen years ago. I pray that she rests in peace.  
  
As for me, I'll be alright. I just pray that some day I will be released into the world and that all my memories of this place will be only that, a memory.  
  
But for now I must work my hardest, just as the other people in this village do. They work hard and long for whatever they can get. I must work  
  
like that, if I ever want to leave this place and take my father with me, I must work hard. I've seen people come and go from this place. I wish to  
  
do the same...  
  
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A/N: Well! How was it? I know it's just a start but it will get good I promise!! As for you Ayashi no Kokoro fans: I AM STILL WORKING ON  
  
THAT ONE TOO!!! So don't forget about it! I know it's been a long time, but I just don't know what to do next in it! So I thought I might start  
  
a more serious one for now until I get the idea of what I want to put next in AnK! But never fear, It will continue!!! Sorry for the Loooonnnngggg  
  
wait, but I hope you understand!!! Also I would like to thank Aama (did i spell it right???) for inspiring me to write this! Her story 'Tansho' is   
  
remarkable and I give great thanks to her for inspiring me!!! If any of you have an idea of what should happen next in Ayashi no Kokoro,  
  
email me!!! At Acousticgirl15@comcast.net! Ok? That's all for now! If you liked this story so far, let me know with your reviews!!  
  
Thanks!  
  
Nuriko no da! 


	2. Chapter 1: A Thousand Years

Weeping Orchids  
  
A Fushigi Yuugi Epic  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own crap. Well, save for Maiko and co.!  
  
Date: November 11, 2003  
  
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Chapter 1: A Thousand Years...  
  
Suzhou, a small village in the city of Konan. A small and humble village, where nothing is taken for granted. There are  
  
no mishaps, or mistakes, just rural plains and rolling hills. Rice paddies, and greenery. A down to earth soul with no judging.  
  
Saikou, the village of my birth and life. Seventeen years in this place and still not one single change. I want everything to change.  
  
Not just for myself, but for all the people who own these small dwellings. I want everyone to be happy.  
  
The open air shifts into our home, sending a lukewarm breeze through the atmosphere. I do not shiver, nor do I sweat.  
  
When will things change? Why doesn't anyone care? Can this be the life I own??? So many questions, and all the time in the world.  
  
Just not enough answers.   
  
I stare down at my calloused hands, I feel as though they are not mine. My long, auburn hair no longer soft and delicate, but scraggly   
  
and rough. I want to be alive, and happy. I wish for cheerfulness and good times. I wish for love, and desire. I wish. Nothing can change  
  
as of right now. Why bother? I stand up from the weak stool I had been sitting on. It's rocky movements annoy me, but right now I don't  
  
really care.   
  
I take a look outside at the sunny paths and enormous trees. When I step out the open door, a warm breeze greets me and I let out a sigh.  
  
I walk out to the farmland where my father is diligently working. He rakes ands sows. He pauses for a moment, wiping the sweatbeads that  
  
have formed on his forehead and then resumes his hard work. He stands raking the dirt, and I see how it has soiled his clothes, his trousers  
  
are darkened in spots from mud and his shoes are caked with hardening muck. I recoil at the sight of this poor man's shoes. I then stare down  
  
at my own and realize mine are similar looking to his. My feet can barely fit into these small shoes, this one size I've had since I was ten  
  
years old.   
  
Money is scarce. Then I think, when is our money not scarce? Two gold coins, or one. It's all so important. Sometimes I take walks   
  
and visit the market. So many people who take things for granted. They think two coins can get them nothing and they want more.  
  
Always wanting, what about needing? The people who need it are nothing like the kind of people who want it. My father and I,  
  
we need it.   
  
The world is so blind to the needy. They see us but don't stop to ask what went wrong? How it went wrong, or when? Nobody cares.  
  
Why can't they see us? Right now, what matters most to me is my family, my work, and happiness. I glance up at the sky,  
  
rainclouds still churn and linger above my head. It's gloominess mocking my exact feelings. I feel as though I have been betrayed by  
  
the sky and stare down at the ground.   
  
I look up once more into the fields that seem to go on forever. "I'm going for a short walk father, I'll be back soon!" I yell over to my   
  
father still working under the hot sun. He looks up and nods for a slight second, then returns to his hard labor. I smile halfway, and  
  
set foot. I pass through the trees, admiring the nature around me as if it were my first time seeing it. I can hear my shoes scuffling along  
  
the dirt road, creating dust left in my trail. I look back at the foot prints my slippers have made, and stare ahead again. I become relaxed  
  
by the chirping of the birds, and although they do not sing melodies, it still calms my spirit. I am alone on this trail, but my solitude comforts  
  
me.  
  
I see the city approaching. I take a deep breath and amble into the marketplace. 'Mommy! I want this one!!!" I can hear a little girl,  
  
I glance over to see a young girl maybe about seven, pointing to a toy that she wants, excitement painted on her small features.   
  
"Patience Xi Fang! I'm not sure if I have enough." Her mother says to her sternly. A half angry half sad look apears on the small girl's  
  
face and she begins to whine. "But I want it now!" I notice how a sweet, little girl can suddenly turn into a whiny, spoiled child.   
  
I take my eyes off the little girl and look around at all the different shops and what they have to offer. Blankets, dresses, jewelry, food,  
  
knick-knacks, toys, clothes, dishes, everything and anything you can think of. I realize how much our family needs and how much of it we  
  
don't have and it saddens me. I glance at all the different shops stopping to look at the food and simple necessities. I just ignore the calls  
  
of the venders, trying to persuade me to buy their wares, do they not know I have no money?  
  
I continue to look at the various necessities. I suddenly stop and look towards the right. A flame? No, it can't be, but it's so bright. Could it be  
  
just a vibrant color of fabric? Yet it moves. It catches my eye and I cannot stop staring at the magnificent, blazing color. A bright red with hints  
  
of gold and orange. A fiery color. One so vibrant and eye-catching, yet I am the only one so entranced by it. Is it just me? A person. It is a young  
  
man. I cannot help but feel the urge to run my fingers through the wild flames of hair. However, I will not, for I feel as though if I were to touch his  
  
hair, my hand would catch ablaze and burn me. A fiery passion burns inside me and I want to know him, feel him, touch him. I have no idea who  
  
this person is but yet I feel as if I've known him for a thousand years...  
  
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End of Chapter 1  
  
So is it any good? If it is, I will continue! However if it isnt, I guess I'll just give it up right now. I would like you to read and review if  
  
you can, it's the only feedback I can get and it tells me wether I should continue or not. Thankfully I have gotten some reviews! Keep  
  
sending them! I'll know to go on if you review!   
  
Will Maiko get to meet this mystery flame? If so, will she be repulsed or madly in love? Will it be a dream come true? Or a tragic nightmare?  
  
A/N: I've been having MAJOR internet problems! So sorry for the extremely long delay! Blame Comcast!!! I'm going back to AOL anyway...  
  
P.S. I would like to give credit to Aama for the ideas she has bestowed upon me. I know some of it sounds similar, but I just couldn't help  
  
it! I am absolutely in love with her story! So if you're reading this Aama, then I apologize for the similarities if you think there are any, but  
  
your story is so wonderful and you inspired me!  
  
Thanks!  
  
Nuriko no da ^__~. 


	3. Chapter 2: A Loss for Everyone

Weeping Orchids  
  
A Fushigi Yugi Epic...  
  
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Fushigi Yugi, wish I did, but hey what are you gonna do right?  
  
Date: December 7, 2003  
  
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Chapter 2: A loss for everyone...  
  
I can't help but look away as the flame is so bright. A feast for the eyes, a feast of gold and amber and red. Enchanted by the  
  
flames atop this man's head, I look again and keep my stare upon him. He turns his head and I am caught. He has noticed me staring  
  
intently at him and gives an absurd look. I feel my cheeks flare up and I am certain they are as red as Suzaku's feathers. He notices  
  
my "rosy" problem and a smirk arises on his face. I huff at him and turn around pretending to admire a silken aqua dress.   
  
A few minutes into my charade, when I am sure it's safe to turn around, I return to my old stance only to find him gone. Damn,  
  
I lost him. Where did he go? I want to find my flaming man. It's funny how I do not know this man but yet I still claim him as my own. Like  
  
I could ever have something to claim, especially something as beautiful as that. I want to find him but I have not a clue where I should start.  
  
I make my way around the vending stands and ignore the calls of the merchants, begging me to buy their wares. Do they not   
  
know I have not one coin to spend? They have not a clue yet they just assume I have money and expect me to pay for something. I am just  
  
a poor farmer's daughter searching for a man with fiery hair. I keep looking, but to no avail. He is nowhere to be seen. I only saw him for a   
  
moment now he's gone. My eyes search frantically for even just a fragment of flaming hair. Suddenly my eyes stop and I catch a glimmer of  
  
amber and gold. I turn my head and there he is. I can see the back of him, he is closing in on a tavern. A tavern? I didn't think him one to   
  
enjoy a glass of sake or the beckoning of a harlot. I want to follow him but as soon as one foot goes forward I hear my name being called.  
  
"Maiko! Maiko? Maiko where are you?" It is Shuin, a young boy from my village. I turn my head to see him looking everywhere in a slight  
  
frenzy.   
  
"Maiko?" He tugs on my worn out skirt and I look down without hesitation. "Yes? What's wrong Shuin? Has something happened  
  
in the village?" He nods his head sadly. "It's Benjiro." Shuin replied. "Father?! What's happened?!" I interrupt him in a panic. " Something's   
  
wrong, I was playing in the village while he was out working and all of sudden he just collapsed." My eyes widen with fear. "Come Benjiro.  
  
We have to hurry back to the village." I can already feel a slight lump in my throat and I know something is wrong. I do not know why  
  
I didn't sense this earlier.   
  
Our feet scurry through the stands, trying to manuever ourselves through the crowds. My foot takes a wrong step causing me to trip  
  
and fall, knocking over a stand of jewlery. Shuin tries to help me up, but he is too small and not strong enough to lift me to my feet. I can feel a  
  
bump in my ankle and I know something's wrong. The pain starts to sink in and it worsens the feeling in my ankle. Shuin touches the bump to  
  
find out what is wrong and a sharp pain shoots up my entire leg causing me to cry out in pain. It feels as if I am being stabbed a thousand times  
  
by a sharp gleaming knife. Blood begins to form underneath the skin and it turns a crimson color. "Come on Maiko we have to hurry!" Shuin tugs  
  
at my hand but I know this is it, my father is probably going to die and I cannot be there to give him a farewell. There is no way of me getting   
  
there.   
  
Shuin however is not giving up hope and he continues to try and lift me up. "It's no use Shuin. There is no way I can get there without  
  
some tending to the injury I have." He frowns but his will is strong, "Just push yourself up and don't think about the pain! You don't want your  
  
father to die do you?!" "Shuin..." I am shocked at his bravery and truthfulness, he is only 10 years old but already knows so much. Being poor  
  
will do that to you, it teaches you to grow up faster. He's right, I won't give up. I place my hand on a nearby stand and hoist myself up putting all  
  
of my weight on one foot. I have to get there, I can't let my father go without seeing him one last time.   
  
We continue to hurry to the path where I took my walk earlier. Indescribable pain throbbing from my ankle. My breathing increases,  
  
and I have to pause for a minute, letting the awful pain get the best of me. I can't go on much longer, but I just know something is horribly wrong.  
  
I nod my head and we keep going, our footsteps creating a dustcloud behind us. "Come on Maiko!" Shuin keeps tugging and pulling. We turn  
  
the corner and I can see the village. The small houses with falling shackles, open air windows, and the rolling hills of farmland. I sigh, telling  
  
myself we're almost there. I can no longer feel my foot, as the numbness in it has caused it to turn violet. I can see the whole village crowded in  
  
my home, and it seems like I will never reach it even if I am only a couple steps away.   
  
Shuin runs toward his mother, and I take off to my house. I push through the villagers, and find my father on his bed. He is   
  
breathing hard and his skin is a ghostly pale. "Father?" I can already feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I turn to see the whole village   
  
saddened by this event. "It's okay" My father says, in a slight whisper. "I want you to take care of yourself, and the farmland." He continues  
  
his breathing becoming harsher. I take his hand in mine, my tears flowing freely down my cheeks, "Please, father. Don't go, please, don't  
  
leave me all alone. Mother's already gone and I just couldn't take it if you left me too." I have to speak between sobs. He shakes his head,  
  
"It's okay, I'll be with Mother in the heavens, you just take care of yourself." I silently nod, tears still soaking my skin. "Farewell father..." His  
  
spirit has left the earth, searching for my mother in the heavens, joining the four gods in the sky.   
  
A white cloth is placed over my father's face and I continue to cry. Now, I am all alone in the world. No one to love me, no one to  
  
take care of me, no one. Everyone has left me. Now everything is up to me. I have to stay here. Alone in this shack, alone. The pain in my  
  
foot is gone and the only pain I feel is in my heart. All of the villagers leave my home and I am once again alone. We will bury my father tomorrow.  
  
Then I will have no one. I will continue to live and take care of myself, today, tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. I just don't   
  
understand why there were never any symptoms of a sickness or a fatal disease, there wasn't anything.   
  
Darkness sinks into the night sky, and my solitude is no longer comforting. The crickets chirp a saddened song while I sit alone,  
  
my thoughts flying into my mind at an amazing speed. What do I do now? What can I do? Is there anywhere else to go? Will I have to work  
  
long and hard hours in the fields? I want to see the young man with the flaming hair, dangerous yet soothing colors would be the only thing  
  
to comfort my shaken spirit at the moment. My ankle is still in immense pain, the numbness comes and goes but pain is still evermost present.  
  
I glance down at my swollen ankle and sigh, flinching as I try to move it around, but to no avail. Enormous, painful streaks run throughout my leg,  
  
if I move it. A long line of blood traces the bone of my ankle, the transparent skin clear enough to see the ripened bruise underneath it.  
  
What will happen to me? Will I die a lonely woman? Will I die a poor woman? Will I die a lonely, poor woman? The future remains  
  
unclear and unseen. My future remains unseen and unclear. The stench of a deteriorating corpse is in the air, and I know it is my father's  
  
dying flesh; yet there are no wounds or scars upon him. Weariness and sleep is gaining on me, tempting me to fall into the bliss of silent  
  
dreams and peacefulness. My eyelids grow heavier by the minute and my head droops with tire. I am tired. So tired and sleepy, I must rest.  
  
I will allow the night to take me captive and set me on a pilgrimage to find the sun.  
  
I huddle into a hay-filled corner and close my eyes, resting until morning; when I will begin farming at Sunrise...  
  
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End of Chapter 2  
  
A/N: Hey everybody! How is it so far! Keep sending reviews! They really help! I am trying to work on lessening the fragments, and working on  
  
originality. I know the plot is one that has been heard before, but this is my version of a story such as that! I hope you all are enjoying it so far!  
  
Keep reviewing! As you read in this chapter, I did put in a sliver of mentioning a tavern with harlots and such, but that's all. I just wanted to add  
  
a little something in there about harlots (whores) whatever you prefer to call them. That's probably all you'll see about them though. Maybe a little  
  
sliver here and there but not much else. Oh, and was this chapter a little longer? I'm trying to work on making the chapters longer! Thanks and   
  
don't forget to review!!!!  
  
Maiko misses the flaming haired young man, will she ever see him again? Will she live her life alone forever? Is this how it ends?(of course  
  
not!) Find out in Chapter 3 of Weeping Orchids!!!  
  
Nuriko no da! ^__~. 


	4. Chapter 3: Starting Over

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own jack crap! Well except for Maiko and company, everyone else belongs to Yuu Watase!  
  
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Chapter 3: Starting Over...  
  
My eyes flutter open in response to the rising sun. An awful, putrid smell thickens the air. I wrinkle my nose in disgust,  
  
and I realize I must hurry and bury my father before the stink is too much for me to bare. His decomposing flesh makes me sick   
  
to my stomach, but I swallow the acid-like bile, shut my eyes and try to ignore the stench.   
  
The sun shines through the open windows, and it knows nothing of the past events. I remember that I am supposed to start  
  
working right now. However, my body feels to frail and weak to do anything; my injured ankle absorbing all of my strength. My father's  
  
death has been devastating to me, leaving me in a state of shock. Although my energy has left me, I must find the willpower to talk to  
  
the other villagers about my father's burial.  
  
Without using my left ankle, I somehow pick myself up from the haystack and limp to the doorway. A humid breeze sends my hair  
  
afloat and I make it out of the shack. A villager notices my condition and scurries to my side. He takes my arm and puts it around his neck,  
  
his other hand occupying my waist. I glance over and notice it is Ken. Ken is my age and his father was my father's good friend. Ken and I  
  
grew up together always talking about when we would grow older what we would do with our lives. I remember it like it had just happened.  
  
***"When I grow up! I'm gonna be th...the next emperor!" I can remember the very moment he said this. We were walking through the village,  
  
playing with the other kids every now and then, but mostly just paying attention to eachother. I remember giggling after he said that he wanted  
  
to be the next emperor. He frowned and said "What's so funny?" I just shook my head. "Well what do you want to be when you grow up???"  
  
He asked. I looked up, my big aqua eyes filled with anticipation "I don't want to be anything..." I said. Ken cocked his head; a question mark   
  
painted on his face. "Huh?" He said. I smiled "I just want to fall in love!" I finished. He stuck his tongue out and ran off, leaving me to chase  
  
after him***  
  
I smile at the sweet innocence of reminscing and continue to try and keep my balance. "Maiko? Did you hear what I said?"  
  
A deep yet mellow voice breaks into my thoughts and I turn my head to face Ken. "Huh?" I ask, completely unaware that he had spoken  
  
to me. He just lets out a soft chuckle and gleefully repeats himself, "I was just wondering how you hurt yourself." "Oh, I fell while wandering  
  
the marketplace." I reply, my ankle still in complete and immense pain. Ken nods his head "Oh, What were you doing that you fell and hurt  
  
yourself so bad?" He continues. "I was trying to hurry back..." I hang my head in grief yet still find the strength to continue, "I was trying to hurry  
  
back in time to see my father." I finish; my eyes brimming with fresh tears. Ken just simply nods his head again and we arrive at the village  
  
doctor Chitose's house.   
  
The open door is a welcome sign that anyone is allowed to walk in. Ken, still helping to balance me guides us over to the doctor  
  
who is sitting in front of a table by a hearth. "Chitose, Maiko has injured her ankle and needs tending. Would you be so helpful as to see to her?"  
  
Ken asks Chitose politely. The old woman nods her head, her fox-like silver hair splashing around her face. "Of course my dear." She says  
  
smiling, allowing the wrinkles to define her face even more than they already had. Ken smiles thankfully and Chitose's deep, burgundy eyes  
  
peer down at my swollen ankle. "Ah yes. You're injuries are not as severe as I would imagine." She says, her voice deep with wisdom and  
  
kindness. I smile "really?" Chitose nods her head, and begins to feel for the most painful spot. "I want you to tell me when I reach the spot  
  
that hurts the most." She says. I nod as her fingers begin to gently push down and feel for the area most painful. She begins to get closer  
  
to the pain as the throbbing gets harder and harder in my ankle. She gently pushes down on a spot next to my ankle-bone on the right and  
  
I let out a pain-filled scream. She nods her head "Yes, a mere sprain. Give it time and it shall leave you." Chitose moves from her seat and   
  
grabs some herbal leaves, placing them into a pot boiling water. The smell of sweet herbs and the aroma of freshly brewed tea start to invade  
  
the air. I sniff in the soothing scent and let out a deep breath as the wonderful aroma glides gracefully into my nostrils. She pours some tea into a   
  
small cup and hands it to me. "Drink this for the pain." I greatfully take the cup from her frail, bony fingers and blow the top to let it cool. I drink it   
  
without thought and finish the whole cup within minutes. The warm liquid spreads through my entire body like the blood that flows through   
  
my veins and I let out a jubilant sigh.   
  
After thanking Chitose for her assistance and the tea, Ken and I take our leave. As we walk out into the open air, I start to feel the   
  
pain in my ankle slowly disintegrate and am relieved that the tea has already started to work. However, Ken's assistance is still needed and  
  
he helps me without hesitation. "How's your foot feeling?" He asks as we arrive back at my little shack. I nod and smile "Better." Ken helps me  
  
into the house but we soon retreat, remembering the thick stench inside. We go outside once again and let the fresh but humid breeze pass by   
  
us. "Maybe we should talk to the villagers about your father's burial. "Yes, I think we should." I reply, the memories of my fathers death still   
  
burning into my mind. "Stay here, while I gather all of the villagers." Ken says and goes from one house to the next informing everyone about  
  
the village meeting about to be held. Ken and I are like siblings, he's always watching over me.   
  
Before long, Ken has everyone standing in the center of the village. I can hear a variety of voices speaking among me but it's all  
  
just a blur. I can't believe I'm going to bury my father, it's still so hard to take in. I know Ken will be here for me though, his soothing golden eyes  
  
calming my spirit as I grieve through the days. "Okay. Maiko and I, have gathered everyone here to discuss Benjiro's burial." Ken sighs,   
  
knowing this will be a somewhat difficult situation. He runs his fingers through his midnight black hair. He is the complete opposite of the man  
  
I saw in the marketplace with that hair made of fire. Ken's hair is so dark, blacker than the blackest of black. His locks reminding me of the  
  
endless night sky. While the other man's hair is like the gleaming of the sun, or the spark in a blazing fire. Completely contrasting men. My  
  
thoughts are interrupted when Ken says my name "Maiko, I think we should bury him by the pond, I'm sure he would have liked that." I nod  
  
heavily. Father always loved being by the water, he once said ' you can always deal with your problems much easier if you can   
  
hear the gentle flowing of a creek or stream.' My father always believed that water could calm even the most wildest of spirits.  
  
Ken tells the villagers where my father should be buried and some of the men rush quickly into my home and remove his heavy body.  
  
As soon as the men start filing out of the shack, I turn my back; not wanting to see the deceased face of my father. I feel a hand on my shoulder,  
  
I turn around and see two deep, mellow amber eyes shining on me. Ken turns me around and gives me a light hug "I'm sorry for your father's  
  
death but now he can join your mother in her resting place." I smile "Thank you, but it's ok. I know that it was hard for me at first, but I'm glad   
  
because soon they'll be together again." "Ok." He whispers into my hair and releases me. We follow the villagers to the burial site and bury  
  
my father by the pond. As the villagers leave the site, I stay behind. I gather a few rocks in my hands and pile them into a pillar onto the freshly  
  
dug up dirt.   
  
I kneel down onto the dirt, soiling my dress even more. My eyes start to well up in tears as I kneel on my father's grave. "I will miss  
  
you dearly father." I say and stand up from the grave. My grief tears at my heart and I have to leave before I break down. As I walk solemnly  
  
from the grave, I turn around one last time, "I love you father." I take my leave and return to the village.   
  
As I return to the small village I call my home, I notice a white cloth and two lanterns on each side have been hung above the doorway  
  
to my shack. A sign that someone has died in that small house. My house. Another death, another life taken. Another time to mourn and grieve  
  
in the loss of another, a compensation for the gods to repent for our sins. Do the Gods know the toll it takes on the people who live here in   
  
China? Must several lives be taken everyday just to compensate for sins that not everybody has commited? It's a touchy subject I'm sure,  
  
to defy the Gods by asking these ridiculous questions. Am I really defying them? Are they listening and getting ready to take my life as well?  
  
I'm not really sure, but all I know is that I must live on to take care of my father's farmland and take care of myself.  
  
As I begin to walk, I notice that the pain in my ankle is completely gone, but I know that the injury couldn't have disappeared so easily.  
  
It's just the pain medicine I took that is making the hurt in my foot very numb. I hang my head in silence and sadness. Letting the villagers notice  
  
my weary and tired soul. I look up and notice that there are no villagers, everyone is already inside their own homes minding their own business.  
  
I realize I can't go on like this forever. Moping and sulking in silence. Letting the melancholy invade my mind and heart. It's like a disease, killing  
  
my happiness and murdering my optimistic spirit. It takes control of me and there's nothing I can do to stop it from tearing up my insides. I'm  
  
slowly dying inside from my grief and unless I start to have goodness and wholeness inside, I'm sure I'll just wither away like a dying   
  
chrysanthemum. At last I know that I shall allow happiness to conquer the sadness inside, and happiness will surely be victorious.  
  
I let out a sigh of defeat and suddenly feel a deep sense of security. I know my father is with the four gods just like mother. I'm very sure  
  
he's happy as well as she. I know their probably having a festival with a feast and having the time of their lives with our ancestors. I know their  
  
watching over me, telling me not to fret and not to worry. They say I'll be alright and for the first time in years, I believe them.   
  
I let a lopsided smile appear on my once sullen face. I feel the grief and melancholia lift off my shoulders and I wander inside my shack.  
  
The once awful, gross stench that had lingered here earlier is starting to disappear, but there is still a hint of it in the air. It doesn't really bother me  
  
and I just dismiss it. I can hear the slight grumbling of my stomach, and suddenly feel very hungry. I remember the last time I ate was the night  
  
before I left for the marketplace and hurt my ankle. I take a look around and notice a half empty sack of home-grown rice.   
  
Just before I take a handful of rice, I notice a small weaved basket hidden under a dirty cloth. My curiosity takes over and I lift the   
  
soiled fabric to find a small basket full of money. I guess this must've been our small savings, there is about ten or twelve gold pieces in the  
  
carefully crafted basket. I think of the food that I need and I grab about four coins and take off towards the marketplace. I wonder if the man  
  
with the flaming hair will be there?  
  
**********************************************************  
  
End of Chapter 3  
  
Will Maiko finally be able to meet the man with the hair made of fire? Will he even be at the market this time? Why can't Maiko forget about  
  
him?  
  
A/N: Hi there! So how is it? I know it's quite slow, but rushing a story just ain't my thing. I like to take the time to develop the characters and the  
  
settings so you can have a feel for the story and feel like your there while everything is happening. I know there are quite a bit of descriptions,  
  
but it helps me picture the scene in my head so I can know what Maiko will say or do next and how the characters will react to her actions.  
  
However, keep sending those reviews! This chapter was probably short as well but it's hard to determine the length when you're writing on  
  
notepad (I don't have Microsoft Word yet.) So sorry for the short chaps! I hope you keep reviewing too, it sure does encourage me to write more!  
  
Thanks much to all who have read this and reviewed, hope you keep reading and reviewing!!!! 


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